Florida Senate - 2015                            (NP)    SR 1594
       
       
        
       By Senator Thompson
       
       
       
       
       
       12-01793-15                                           20151594__
    1                          Senate Resolution                        
    2         A resolution recognizing October 2015 as
    3         “International Creole Month” in Florida.
    4  
    5         WHEREAS, Creole cultures and languages are present
    6  throughout the world, and are especially prevalent in the
    7  Caribbean, Louisiana, and Florida, and
    8         WHEREAS, as the fruit of migrations and population
    9  mingling, the Creole language is an incredibly complex and
   10  diverse vernacular, and
   11         WHEREAS, Creole languages started out as pidgins, mixed
   12  languages developed between two peoples who do not share a
   13  language but who interact regularly, and
   14         WHEREAS, over time, these pidgins developed into a stable
   15  Creole language, such as Haitian Creole, which emerged in the
   16  late 17th and early 18th centuries from the interactions of
   17  French settlers and African slaves, and
   18         WHEREAS, since 1500, approximately 100 Creole languages
   19  have arisen due to the Age of Discovery and the Atlantic slave
   20  trade, with the largest number of speakers, nearly 10 million,
   21  speaking Haitian Creole, and
   22         WHEREAS, in 1981, a consortium of French Creole linguists
   23  from the Caribbean and Indian Ocean regions formed Bannzil
   24  Kreyol, an organization devoted specifically to the study and
   25  promotion of French Creole languages, and
   26         WHEREAS, the first “International Bannzil Kreyol Day” took
   27  place on October 28, 1983, evolving into an annual celebration
   28  of Creole heritage in all Creole countries across the globe, and
   29         WHEREAS, Haitian Creole became an official language of the
   30  Republic of Haiti in 1987 and is the first language of 95
   31  percent of Haitians, and
   32         WHEREAS, Haitian Creole, as well as other ethnic Creole
   33  traditions, is an integral part of the fabric of the South
   34  Florida community, and
   35         WHEREAS, understanding the native Creole cultures and
   36  languages is vital to increasing cultural awareness and identity
   37  for many Floridians and peoples throughout the world, and
   38         WHEREAS, many invaluable figures throughout history
   39  embraced their Creole heritage, including artist Edgar Degas,
   40  musicians Fats Domino and Louis Armstrong, naturalist and
   41  painter John James Audubon, boxer Joe Brown, and Jean Baptiste
   42  Point du Sable, founder of the City of Chicago, and
   43         WHEREAS, the preservation of this historic and diverse
   44  dialect is of great concern to people of various nationalities
   45  throughout the world, and initiatives to promote, preserve, and
   46  celebrate Creole are local field work as much as governmental
   47  policy, and
   48         WHEREAS, the Creole heritage encompasses a colorful culture
   49  of music, such as a “shak-shak” band and dance, including
   50  genteel and graceful quadrille dancers who perform dainty steps
   51  and polite bows to traditional drums, violins, and locally made
   52  seed-pod maracas, and
   53         WHEREAS, Creole cuisine exemplifies tradition and
   54  innovation with such dishes as fire-roasted breadfruit, conch in
   55  Creole spices, and green fig and saltfish, and
   56         WHEREAS, communities reach deep into their past to remember
   57  and honor authentic food and drink, arts and crafts,
   58  entertainment, and activities, and
   59         WHEREAS, the celebration of the Creole legacy promotes
   60  tolerance, fraternity, and friendship between those of Creole
   61  descent and the rest of humankind, NOW, THEREFORE,
   62  
   63  Be It Resolved by the Senate of the State of Florida:
   64  
   65         That October 2015 is recognized as “International Creole
   66  Month” in Florida and that all Floridians are encouraged to
   67  observe the occasion with celebration and cultural
   68  understanding.